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Sermons
The Heavenly Symbols Dear fellow Celestianists, Today I want to write to you about the symbols of the Holy Three and what they mean. This is a very important topic, because to understand our gods, we need to understand what they stand for, and a ponies cutie mark is one of the most important and central statements of their character. This, of course, is especially true for the greatest amongst them, and we will see how the cutie marks of the Holy Three express their respective functions within the Celestian belief. The Sun of our minds and hearts: Princess Celestia The first and foremost amongst the Holy Three, our glorious and benevolent Princess Celestia, bears as her cutie mark a bright sun. The meaning of this symbol is simple and obvious, just as Celestia herself does not shroud her greatness in needless riddles: The sun gives us life and warmth, without it, no life could exist, it is huge, bright, untouchable and we can not even look at it without hurting. But even though the sun is too bright to look at and might even create almost unbearable heat, it also fills our hearts with happiness and makes our lives brighter every day. As all life longs for the sun in winter, so do all those who are without friendship long for Celestia, and those who know friendship know that they couldn’t live without it. Thus let us praise Celestia, the only sun in our life, without whom we could not exist. The Moon that shines throughout the night: Princess Luna Celestias only sister, who rules at her side, Princess Luna, bears a bright crescent moon as her cutie mark, and we can easily see why this symbol fits her perfectly. The moon has always been a symbol of change, as well as for the night, where it is usually the strongest (natural) source of light. As the moon changes each month, so has Luna changed, from the great princess of the night to the terrible Nightmare Moon which she remained for a thousand years, and back again to a redeemed Princess, second only to Celestia herself. She has shown us that everyone can change, that even the most evil creatures can be redeemed and that nobody is ever lost to Celestia. She has shown us that even in the darkness of night, there is a bright light in the sky, reflecting the beauty of the sun, and that even the darkest night, when the moon is not visible, will eventually come to pass. And as there can be no day without night, even with the greatest friendships, we sometimes just need time for ourselves, just so we can enjoy the next meeting even more. And so Princess Luna compliments Princess Celestia, as the night compliments the day, and none can be without the other, and all is well. The Stars in the distance: Princess Twilight Sparkle Celestias chosen Pupil, Princess Twilight Sparkle, bears as a cutie mark a bright pink star, surrounded by five smaller, white stars. The meaning of this symbol is a bit more complex than the other two, so I will structure it in three parts. Magic and the Elements of Harmony: The pink star is, of course, also the symbol for the Element of Magic within the Elements of Harmony and the gem in the crown element, which is also the Princess crown of Twilight Sparkle. It is surrounded by five other stars representing the five other elements needed to achieve true harmony. The Elements of Harmony and the embodiments of them in the Six Disciples are of central meaning to Celestianism and shall be discussed in greater detail in an other sermon. However, it can certainly be said that the main function of both Twilight and her friends is to tell us about the Magic of Friendship and thus carry Celestias lessons to both the lesser ponys in Equestria and, through Lauren, us humans. This function leads us to the second meaning of the stars, Prophecy: Humans have always gazed upon the stars as signals of the future and a means of prophecy. Of course, we all know today that Astrology and the likes are superstition and unworthy of the truth that lies in Celestianism, but still the stars as symbols of prophecy have a new meaning for us, since the star-bearer, Princess Twilight Sparkle, is the chosen Pupil of Princess Celestia and thus the one Prophet through which her lessons a taught to us all. This point is further strengthened by the fact that Twilight was chosen as the main character in THE SHOW, which is the medium through which Celestias earthly Prophet, Lauren Faust, transported her lessons to us humans on earth. And as the stars have taught mankind a great deal, serving as one of the driving forces behind the invention of higher mathematics and still inspiring great scientific advances today, so does Twilight teach us about the greatness of our benevolent Princess Celestia and her sister, the great Princess Luna. Now, this inspiration the stars provide leads me to the third and final meaning of Twilight Sparkles cutie mark. Hope: Since ancient times, the stars have inspired mankind. Those tiny lights, shining through the night, are the stuff of stories and legends, humans have long since seen images and patterns in the night sky, and since being used for navigation, the stars have become a symbol of guidance. Nowadays we know pretty well what the stars are, we know how far away they really are, and most of the mystery about them is gone. However, we know just so much more about the universe, and the stars serve as a constant, visible reminder that this planet is not all there is in the universe, in fact, it seems almost infinitely small compared to the vastness of space and all the other stars and planets that are out there. And though that knowledge might feel intimidating at times, it also gives us hope when we become troubled by this very much imperfect and often harsh world: For if there is so much else out there, so much that is utterly uninfluenced by all the hate and evil in this world, why should there not also be a future for us, in which the Magic of Friendship unifies us as a species and we can truly be free. Thus the stars have always served to remind mankind that there is something above itself, something more to strife for, something greater then what is. Now, Twilight Sparkle gives us the Hope that one day, we may all become united in the light of Celestias friendship and feel the magic that lies therein, devoid of all hate and evil. Thus each of the Symbols serves as a constant reminder of the glory of each of the Holy Three, symbols of light and power, of mercy and perseverance, of magic and the hope for a brighter future of mankind and ponykind united under Princess Celestias benevolent rule. Brohoof.